DIFFICULTY LEVEL: OY!
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When I was in 4th grade, I discovered that the back of my Math book had all the answers to every mathematical equation. I thought I was a genius for finding the answer page.
I would start to do the equation, and then just look in the back of the book. My plan was foiled when my teacher caught me. She said, "Sara, the only person you are cheating is YOU." And she was right. From there on out, I did my work and never cheated again in school.
Besides the fact that I didn't end up going to MIT (although it would have made for a better story if I suddenly became a math mastermind), I do believe in cheating...in the kitchen.
I think it's OK to cheat in cooking up something delicious and saying you made the packaged pesto from scratch.
And if you’ve got some chutzpah, make the pesto yourself! In a food processor: add 2 garlic cloves, 1 full cup of washed basil leaves, some pine nuts and a hearty amount of Parmesan —or no cheese! Process finely. Replace this mixture with the store-bought kind.
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- Chicken cutlets
- Fresh whole grain pasta
- Plastic bin of Pesto
Boil water in a large pot.
Grill Chicken in a pan with olive oil.
When the chicken is almost done, take out and chop. Return meat to pan. Add a small amount of pesto to the mix.
When the water is boiling, add salt and pasta until done. Drain.
Back in the pot, add a dash of olive oil, and empty the pasta and the pesto into pot. Reserve some pesto for the top of the dish. Mix well.
How to Plate: Use the chicken strategically to dress the pasta—arrange chicken on top, drizzling additional pesto over the whole dish.
